1. 2003

Miami, January 2003

A winter escape to Miami.

I visited Vizcaya, the winter home of James Deering, Vice President of International Harvester. It was built from 1914 to 1916, employing 1/10th of Miami's then population of 10,000. It's rather like "Versailles in Miami", in miniature, with a touch of Venice on the waterfront.

And I went to South Beach, the southern part of the town of Miami Beach, on the barrier beach oceanwards of Miami proper. It boasts an outstanding collection of Art Deco buildings of the 1930's, and represents a miracle of revitalization. The place was apparently a wreck by the 1970's, but then a volunteer design preservation league established a historical district, and since then, the area has become very fashionable indeed.

Part of the charm comes from the Art Deco designs themselves: clean, geometric, and whimsical. Part from the wild pastel-plus color schemes, which apparently are not historical, but rather a more modern touch. And part from the location and climate, with the palm trees and warm weather making for a relaxed resort atmosphere.
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Vizcaya, gardens
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Vizcaya, gardens

  • Vizcaya, entrance arch
  • Vizcaya, north facade, with the café patio
  • Vizcaya, archway
  • Vizcaya, lagoon on Biscayne Bay
  • Vizcaya, Venice-esque lagoon
  • Vizcaya, Venice-esque lagoon
  • Vizcaya, east facade, on Biscayne Bay
  • Vizcaya, Secret Garden
  • Vizcaya, Secret Garden detail
  • Vizcaya, Secret Garden, seat
  • Vizcaya, looking into the Secret Garden
  • Vizcaya, gardens
  • Vizcaya, view across the Semi-Circular Pools
  • Vizcaya, gardens and fountains
  • Vizcaya, south facade
  • Vizcaya, Fountain Garden, from the Mount
  • Vizcaya, view of the house, behind the Center Island in the reflecting pool
  • Vizcaya, gardens
  • Vizcaya, west facade and entrance court (stitched panorama)
  • Untitled photo
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